Wild Pharoah Coturnix Quail
Coturnix Quail have been raised by people since the days of the Pharaohs in Egypt. They would be so tired from migrating across the Mediterranean Sea that they the ancient Egyptians were able to walk right up to them and pick them up. It was then that people first realized their value as egg producers and meat birds. Once they were domesticated they were traded all over the world. Samurais in Japan famously kept these quails which is how they got one of their names, Japanese Quails. Good for an alternative to keeping chickens in towns.
Why You Should Raise Coturnix Quail
Many non-traditional homesteaders turn to keeping quail when they discover they can’t keep other forms of poultry. Some homesteaders choose to add quail even if they already have other poultry on their homesteads. Why? Because quail offer many benefits to the small-scale farmer and the exchange of time and money for these benefits is great. If you haven’t read Why You Should Consider Keeping Quail, I highly suggest you do. There are several varieties of quail available, but Coturnix Quail are one of the most popular choices. Coturnix are the variety we have chosen for our homestead. Last night we set 40 Coturnix Quail eggs in the incubator. What is absolutely incredible is that in merely ten weeks, our eggs will be producing eggs. Yup! From the first day to setting eggs in the incubator to the first day they begin laying is only about two and a half months. That is a much faster turn around than chickens and ducks, which take almost seven months.
Benefits of Keeping Coturnix Quail
The most common reasons for keeping Coturnix Quail is for eggs and meat. The eggs are absolutely delicious and considered quite a delicacy. Once a hen begins laying, she will produce approximately 300 eggs over the course of a year (about 210 if you chose not to use supplemental lighting). The meat is also considered a delicacy, since quail are game birds. Quail mature so quickly that they reach their top weight at 8 weeks old.
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The best part is that they are so small! To reliably collect a dozen eggs a day, you would need about 15 birds. If you were keeping chickens, you would need to provide a coop of 30 square feet and outdoor space of 150 square feet, minimum. With ducks, you would need a total of 225 square feet. To keep the same number of quail, you would only need 15 square feet total indoor/outdoor space. In fact, many people offer only sheltered outdoor space. Remember, the more space available, the happier and healthier the bird, but you get the idea.
Speaking of turn around, let’s talk monetary turn around. A dozen chickens that empty a 50 lb bag of feed in two weeks. They would go through it even faster if their diet was supplemented with foraging and yard scraps. I get about 9 eggs a day and I make $3 per dozen for eggs in this area. I will have twenty Coturnix Quail. It will take them a month to go through a 25 lb bag of feed. Four of the quail are male, so I can expect to get about 12 eggs a day and quail eggs go for about $6 for 18 in my area. Not too shabby.
Breeding Coturnix Quail
Breeding of Coturnix Quail is another reason why a lot of homesteaders chose to keep them. Whether you breed to replenish your stock, sell chicks, raise meat birds, or just have fun as a hobbyist, an 18 day incubation period is fantastic. I will be breeding for all four purposes. I’m most excited to breed to develop my starting stock by choosing only the best birds from each breeding. I want to grow the largest birds I can with the best color variations.
By JESSICA LANE | Last updated on March 1, 2018